Design coloring means for fabric material



July 17, 1956 H. B. FAULKNER, JR., ETAL DESIGN COLORING MEANS FOR FABRIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 10, 1953 i O N 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS HUGH a. new Ir/vflr. rwomns z. any/s s BY 65000: P. nsmazl.

y 1956 H- B. FAULKNER, JR., ETAL 2,754,796

DESIGN COLORING MEANS FOR FABRIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 10, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 4 TTORNJVJ United States Patent Office 2,754,796 DESIGN COLORING MEANS FOR FABRIC MATERIAL Hugh B. Faulkner, Jr., Thomas E. Davis and George P. Feindel, Rock Hill, S. C., assignors to Rock Hill Printing & Finishing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application September 10, 1953, Serial No. 379,383 2 Claims. (Cl. 11844) This invention relates to the coloring of fabric webs, and in particular to a unique method for design coloring of fabrics and to apparatus for carrying out this method.

The method and means of the present invention are characterized particularly by the doctoring of the peripheral surface of a color applicator roll at spaced intervals before applying the color coat carried by the applicator roll to the fabric being colored. The result is to obtain a differential striping of the fabric in correspondence with the doctored applicator roll intervals by contrast with the normal color application at the undoctored portions of the applicator roll. In addition, the spaced interval doctoring of the applicator roll results in displacing or plowing the doctored color transversely by what appears to be an aspiration effect, so that an excess of color concentrates at the edges of the striping obtained to provide a heavy border thereof in a very striking fashion.

The present invention is described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation, largely diagrammatic and partly in section, illustrating a representative apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail illustrating further the arrangement and operation of the color applicator roll and the doctoring means therefor;

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the form of the notched active edge of the doctoring means;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the exposed face of a representative fabric web after embossing and coloring by the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the doctor blade showing the rounded corners of the notches.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, and more particularly at first to Fig. l, the embodiment of the present invention illustrated comprises an embossing press in which a supply roll is arranged as at R for withdrawal therefrom of a fabric web as at W through tensioning bars to the nip of an embossing couple formed by a steel engraved embossing roll 12 and a composition or filled impression roll 14, such as are conventionally provided in embossing presses; the embossed web being trained backwardly as at W to a guide roll 16 so that in leaving the apparatus it travels around a portion of the peripheral surface of impression roll 14 past a color application roll 18 operating in all respects as disclosed in copending application Serial No. 293,820, filed June 16, 1952, now U. S. Patent No. 2,667,426, except for the provision of the previously mentioned doctoring means indicated generally by the reference numeral 20.

The present invention is illustrated for convenience in relation to the above described embossing press because exceptionally attractive coloring effects are obtained by the method and means of this invention on embossed fabric, but the embossing press illusrtated and described is simply representative of means for causing continuous 2,754,796 Patented July 17, 1956 travel of the fabric web W and for providing a backing surface (i. e., the peripheral surface of the impression roll 14) moving with the web in opposition to which the color applicator roll 18 may be disposed to operate. Alternatively, the embossing couple might be reversed to inlay color on the embossed fabric as disclosed in copending application Seral No. 376,712, filed August 26, 1953; or a smooth surfaced roll pair might be used instead in the manner disclosed in copending application Serial No. 376,704, filed August 26, 1953, or simply as draw rolls.

The color applicator roll 18 and the doctoring means 20 therefor are disposed in relation to the backing surface provided by the impression roll 14 on a mounting bracket 22 attached to the embossing press frame structure and fitted with adjusting or pressure screws 24 by which the applicator roll 18 may be set for proper color applying action. The mounting bracket 22 also carries a color pan 26 and a two-high stack of transfer rolls 28 forming color supply means by which color may be continuously fed from the color pan 26 to the peripheral surface of the applicator roll 18.

The arrangement of the doctoring means 20 is illustrated further in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 of the drawings in which it is seen to comprise a doctor blade 30 having an active edge in which spaced notches are formed as at 32. This doctor blade 30 is supported, preferably with a downward inclination as shown, in clamp bars 34 and 36 car ried by pivoted arms 38 extending from hanger brackets 40 adjustably disposed on a cross bar 42 that is attached to the mounting bracket 22.

The result of this arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 4 showing a fragment of the exposed face of the embossed and colored fabric web W. The dark areas as at S in Fig. 4 represent the portions of the web W at which the notches 32 in the active edge of the doctor blade 30 have left the color on the peripheral surface of the applicator roll 18 undisturbed for normal application to the raised face of cross lined embossing previously formed at the embossing couple. The intermediate light areas represent the elfect of the remaining active edge portions of the doctor blade 30 in removing color from the applicator roll 18 so as to obtain a striping effect on the web W which may be made to contrast between substantially uncolored areas beside normally colored ones, or lighter colored areas beside the normal ones depending on the setting of the doctor blade 30 in relation to the applicator roll 18. In any event, the remaining active edge portions of the doctor blade 30, between the spaced notches 32, further result in displacing color on the peripheral surface of the applicator roll 18 to the edges of the notches 32 to produce an excess of color that applies a heavy border as at B to the normally colored stripes S in a very unusual and attractive manner.

The color applicator roll 18 used may be of the usual type having a rubber cover or the like, and further pattern effects may be obtained by providing intaglio design elements in the peripheral surface of the applicator roll 18 at the circumferential areas corresponding to the doctor blade notches 32, as disclosed in copending application Serial No. 378,028, filed September 2, 1953. The doctor blade 30 may be formed of any suitable material, such as stainless steel, but is advantageously formed of a flexible plastic material having autogenous lubricating properties, such as Teflon, for the chances of marring the surface of applicator roll 18 are thereby avoided, and a flexing of the active edge portions of the doctor blade 30 in the direction of rotation of the applicator roll 18 is provided that appears to enhance the color striping action obtained. The corners of the notches 32 at the active edge of doctor blade 30 are preferably rounded as at 32' in order further to guard against marring of the applicator roll 18 and to facilitate the aspiration effect by which the color concentrations to produce the heavy borders B is obtained.

The present invention is described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Design coloring apparatus comprising a color applicator roll and a doctor blade disposed in edge contact with the peripheral surface of said applicator roll, said doctor blade having notches at spaced intervals in its active edge, the corners of said notches being rounded at said active doctor blade edge.

2. Apparatus for design coloring of embossed fabric webs, said apparatus comprising an engraved embossing roll, an opposed impression roll forming a backing surface for the fabric web after said web has been embossed, a smooth surfaced color applicator roll disposed in opposed relation to said backing surface for applying color to said embossed fabric web while supported on said backing surface, means for supplying color to the peripheral surface of said applicator roll, and a doctor blade disposed in edge contact with the peripheral surface of said applicator roll beyond said color supplying means and ahead of said backing surface, said doctor blade having notches at spaced intervals in its active edge, the corners of said notches being rounded at said active doctor blade edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 144,673 Hart Nov. 18, 1873 1,101,200 Leister et a1 June 23, 1914 1,255,245 Taylor Feb. 5, 1918 1,822,466 Valdes Sept. 8, 1931 1,993,772 Case Mar. 12, 1935 2,054,448 Russell Sept. 15, 1936 2,161,187 Mueller June 6, 1939 2,313,830 Lundbye Mar. 16, 1943 2,368,176 Trist Jan. 30, 1945 2,428,113 Grupe Sept. 30, 1947 2,429,314 Goldman Oct. 21, 1947 2,667,426 Davis Jan. 26, 1954 2,674,299 Bruk'er Apr. 6, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 631,849 Great Britain Nov. 10, 1949 OTHER REFERENCES Handbook of Material Trade Names, Zimmerman and Lavine, 1953, page 558. (Copy in Div. 25.)

Plastics, July 1946, pages 32, 34 and 97. 

